Machine for polishing the eyes of needles



(N0 Model.) 2 sheets-sneer. 1.

' I. T. SMITH.

MACHINE EOE POLISEING THE EYES 0E NEEDLES. NE. 255.044'. Patented 4lVIeLrulll,1882.

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2 sheets-sheet 2f (NQ Model.)

1. T. SMITHr l MACHINEv FOR' POLISHING lTHE EYES O' N'EEDLES. No. 255044:.

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UNITED STATES PATENT DEEICE.

IEA T. sMITELoE MOUNT CARMEL, CONNECTICUT.

j MACHINE FO POLISHING THE EYES OF NEEDLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 255,044, dated March 14, 1882. Application lcd January 28, 1882. (No model.)

To all rwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IRA T. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Carmel, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented new and useful 1inprovements in Machines for Polishing the Eyes of Needles, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to certain improvements in lnachinery for polishing needle-eyes, the particular construction of my machine being pointed out in the following specication.

This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is afront view. Fig.2 isa central longitudinal section. Fig. 3 is a central transverse section. Fig. 9 is a detached View ofthe needle-clamp. Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 are details.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

The needles the eyes of which are to be polished are iirst secured in a needle-clamp, when they are threaded with threads of suitable lengths, the threads being` drawn through to the middle oftheir length. This clamp, with the threaded needles, is then inserted into the needle-clamp holder of the machine, the ends ofthe threads are secured to the th read-clamps, and after emery` or other grinding material has been applied to said threads they are caused to pass rapidly to and fro through the needley eyes in such a manner as to remove all the sh arp corners, leaving the eye perfectly smooth and not liable to cut the thread when the needle is used for sewing.

The needle-clamp A (shown detached in Fig. 9) consists of two metal plates, a b, between whichthe needles are placed, when they are,

pressed together by the thumb-screw c, so as to hold the needles rigidly between them. The plate a is usually faced with leather or similar material to facilitate the holding of the needies.

The needleclamp holder B into which the needle-clamp A, with its threaded needles, is inserted and fastened in a manner which will be hereinafter described, has three distinct simultaneous motions-first, up and down; second, a lateral; and third, a partly-revolving motion, the mechanism for producing which l will now in turn describe. First, the up-anddown motion: The needle-clamp holder B swings on two pivots, d, which project from the vertical slides C C', fitted in grooves e on each side of the frame D. These slides receive their motion from two cams, ff, acting on therollerstuds g, secured to the slides G C'. The cam fis secured to the `iiange h, and the cam if to the worm-wheel z', each by a-screw, j, working in a radial slot, k, which allows the cam to be adjusted, so as to alter its"throw to correspond to the length of the needles to be worked upon. The flange lzA and the worm-wheel t' are secured to the shaft E, which has its bearings in the frame and receives its motion bya worm, Z, mounted on the driving-shaft G, which gears into the worm-wheel t'. Thus, when the shaft E is caused to revolve the camsff, acting on the roller-studs g, raise and lower the slides C C', between which the needle-clamp holder is hung. The lateral motion of the needleclamp holder B is produced by an oscillating forked arm, m, one end of which straddles an annularrecess, u, turned into the end of the needle-clamp holder, while the other end of the arm m is pivoted to a bracket, o, projecting from the inside of the vertical slide C, Fig. 3. Near its center the arm m is connected to a slotted plate, p, provided with roller-studs which are acted on by the cam q, mounted on an upright shaft, r, which has its bea-rings in brackets r r2, the brackets r being secured to the slide C and moving` with it, while the brackets r2 are secured to the frame and remain stationary. One end ofthe platep is held in place over the center ot' the cam by a screw, s, in the end of the upright shaft'r, the slot t permiting it to more in obedience to the cam, while the other end is pivoted to the forked arm m, imparting to it the required oscillatingmotion. The upright shaft r is caused to revolve by a small spur-gear, u, which meshes into a larger gear, e, secured on the shaft E.

To enable the slides C C', which carry the needle-clamp holder, to rise in obedience to the camsjjll without disengaging the mech` anism just described for producing the lateral motion, it is constructed to 'rise with them, eX- cepting the small spur-gear a, which is held in its position by thebrackets r2, both of which are secured to the frame. This gear is loosely mounted on the upright shaft 1' by a featherkey, which slides in a groove, r4, in the shaft r,

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thereby retaining its action while the rest of the mechanism is being raised or lowered. Thus the shaft E imparts motion to the raising and lowering mechanism and the mechanism for producing the lateral motion ofthe needle-clamp holder at one and the same time. The partly-revolving motion of the needleclamp holder is produced by a toothed segment, ze, which swings on a pivot, a', in a bracket, b', secured to the slide C', and consequently moves with it. Said segment engages with a small cog-wheel or another segment, c', which is mounted on the end of the needleclamp holder B, opposite the one which has the recess, `thus turning the needle clamp holder on the pivot d.. This segment w receives Van oscillating motion bya cam, df, aeting on roller-studs c' on the connecting-rod f3, which is pivoted to the segment at g. This cani dis mounted on one end of a shaft, H, having its bearings in the frame D, while on the other end is mounted a worm wheel, i', to which motion is imparted by the worm j', mounted on the driving-shaft, G. Thus asthe worms Zand j( on the drivingshaft G cause the shafts E and H to revolve, all the three motions of the needle-clamp holder-viz., the rising-and-falling, the lateral, and the partlyrevolving-arc produced simultaneously.

The needles are so placed in the needleclamp holder that their eyes are above the center ofthe pivots d, and when the needleclamp holder turns the eyes of the needles describe an arc of a circle around the pivots d, thereby presenting their sharp edges to the action of the polishing-threads in a better mauner than if they were in aline with the pivots, as has been done heretofore. After the needlecla1npA,with its threaded needles, has been placed in the needle clamp holder B, the threads on one side are combed out to separate them and are secured to thethread-clamp I. Then the other side is treated in the same way and clamped to thethread-clamp J. These clamps I and J are pivoted at t to a sliding table, K, which is guided in ways Lon the top of the frame D, and under the inner end of each of them are placed tension spr-ings t2, which have a tendency to turn the clamps backward on their pivots t', thereby keeping thepolishing-threads taut and preventing their entanglement. The thread-clamps I and J consist of two jaws, Z Z' and m m', the former rigid,while the latter swing on pivots n n', and are acted on by eccentrics o o2, which are pivoted at p p', and when turned in the proper direction press the upper edges of the movablejaws m toward thejaws l. These eccentrics are so shaped that when their handles are turned in the direction of arrow 1, or toward the back of the machine, vthe clamps are open, while if turned in the direction of arrow 2, or toward thei'ront ofthe machine, the clamps are closed. (See Figs. 6 and 7.) When the threads have been combed or separated the ends of them are placed in the space q', between thc twojaws l m. The fillet-piece s is then placed on them and the eccentric cam is turned, thereby clamping them firmly.

Behind the thread-clamp J and secured to the slide K is a cam, u', and if the eccentric o2 is turned so as to open the clamp J its handle glides up on said cam a', thereby turning the clamp J forward in the direction of arrow 3, Fig. 6, against the action of the tensionsprings t2 and slackening the tension of the threads, so that the same can be removed and new ones inserted without difficulty. When this has been done the handle is again brought toward the front ofthe machine, so as to clamp the threads and expose the same tothe action ofthe tension-springs t2.

The revolving crank L is mounted on one end of the shaft M, which has its bearing in the frame D, while on the other end is a bevelgear, N, which meshes into a-smaller gear, O, on the driving-shaft G. This crank L is connected to the sliding table K by the rod c', the oscillating lever w', and the rod a2, as shown in Fig. 2, imparting to it a reciprocating motion, which draws the polishing-threads which are clamped in the thread-clamps I and J at each end back and forward through the eyes of the needles in the needle-clamp holder B, while to the latter are imparted the three motions'above stated, thereby bringing every portion of the surface of the needle-eye under the action ofthe polishing-threads.

The needle-clamp holder B is providedat each end with a hub, b2, and flange c2. The hubs are bored out to tit the pivots d, projecting from the vertical slides C C', and into one of them is turned the annular recess n, while on the other one is mounted the cog-wheel c. Between the flanges is a movable jaw, dwhich turns on a pivot, c2, and into the flanges are cut recesses to receive the plate a of the needle-clamp A, and which serve as guides, so

that'the ends of the needles in the clamp A come between the body of the needle-clamp holderB and the movablejaw d2, which is then pressed against them sufficiently to keep them in position during the process of polishing by the eccentric button f2. (See Fig. l0.)

A shaft-,R with bearings-in the frameD,runs across the machine from front to back, on one IOO IIO

IIS

end of which, toward the front of the machine,

is mounted a hand-wheel, Q, while on its rear end is secured the cam-wheel lt. On the end of the driving-shaft G is mounted a frictionclutch, S, the loose disk of which forms a beltwheel to transmit motion to the working parts of the machine, and which is controlled by the forked lever T, Figs. l, 2, and 5, one end of which is pivoted to the frame at g2, while its free end is held in contact with the edge ofthe cam-wheel R by the spring h2. When the free end of the lever T is on one of the high portions ofthe cam-wheel lt the two disks of the clutch are in gear, but when the lever T is on one of the low portions of the cam-wheel R the two disks are out of gear, and the loose one will run loosely on the driving-shaft G without setting the machine in motion. While the nee- (lle-clam p, with its threaded needles, is being inserted and the polishing-threads being properly clamped the lever T is on one of the low portions of the cam-wheel R, and the machine is at rest; but Whenthe needles and polishing'- threads have been vproperly adjusted, and it is desired to set the machine in motion, the hand-wheel Q is turned sufciently to bring one of the high portions of the cam-wheel R under the lever T, thereby throwing the clutch into action, and starting the machine.

On the rear end of the shaft E is mounted a disk, U, in the edge of which are pins or projections i2, which engage with similar pins or projections, jz, on the face of the cam-wheel R. These pins or projections iljz are so placed relatively to each other that the shaft E may make one or more revolutions before the cam-wheel R is sufficiently turned by them to bring one of the low portions under the lever T, which will again disengage the disks of the clutch S and stop the machine ready for the removal of the needle-clamp A with its threaded needles. Another clamp is then inserted, when the previous operation is repeated.

The advantages of my machine are that it is perfectly automatic, therefore requiring but slightly-skilled labor; that it will polish many more needles than the old machines; that the placing of the eyes of the needles away from the center of their motion, together with the peculiar motion of the needle-clamp holder, subjects the whole surface of the eye of the needle evenly to the action ofthe polishingthreads,producing uniformly smooth eyes, and the self-adjustingtension of thethreads during the whole operation will preventtheir breakage, while polishing every needle in the clamp evenly. t

What I claim as new, and desire to secure l. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore described, of the needle-clamp, the thread-clamps, the needle-clamp holder, and mechanism, such as herein described, for irnparting to the needle-clamp holder three distinct movements-viz., an up-and-down movey ment, a lateral reciprocating movement, and a partly-revolving or oscillating movement.

2. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore described, of the needle-clamp, the thread-clamps, the needle-clamp holder, and

ments-viz., an lip-and-down movement, a latv eral reciprocating movement, and an oscillating movement.

3. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore described, of the table K, carrying the thread-clamps I J, mechanism for imparting to this table a reciprocatinglongitudinal movement, the slides C C', fitted between the guides e, cams ff', and shaft E, the needle-clamp holder B, supported by pivots d, secured in the slides (l C', the arm m, engaging with the needle-clamp holder, cam g, acting on said arm, and mechanism connected with the aforesaid shaft for operating the cam.

4. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore described, of the slides C C', the needleclamp holder B, supported on pivots el, which are fastened in said slides, gcarwheel c', mounted on the needle-clamp holder, segment w, pivoted to the slide C', cam d', for imparting to thissegment an oscillating motion, a shaft, G, and mechanism connected therewith for operating the saidcam.

5. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore described, with the needle-clamp, the needle-clamp holder, the thread-clamps, the mechanism for imparting to the thread-clamps a longitudinal reciprocating motion, the mechanism forimparting to the needle-clamp holder three distinct movements of the cam-disk R., having pinsjz, a clutch mechanism controlled by said cam-disk for automatically7 stopping allthe movements at the desired intervals, and a disk, U, having pins t2, said parts being organized for operation substantially as described.

6. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore described, of the thread-clamp constructed of twojaws, l on', a pivot, t', on which said thread-clampswings, the tension-springs t2, the cam u', and the eccentrics 02.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal in the presence ot' two subscribing witnesses.

y IRA T. SMITH. [L. s] Witnesses: ALLENA D. OsBoRN,

CHARLES `WHEELi-ze. 

